The Finnish software company Floobs Oy is launching a service that anyone can use for setting up their own TV channel on the Internet and broadcasting programmes in real time around the world.

All that is needed as the production equipment for a Floobs channel in the first stage is a computer with a webcam, and in the second stage a video-enabled mobile phone.

Floobs works in cooperation with communities, clubs and associations. People interested in the same things can set up community channels on which everyone can act as viewer (floobie) and content producer (floober). The communities are responsible for the content; Floobs provides the work tools and distribution platform.

“Floobs enables consumers or companies to offer their interest groups more interesting, topical and diverse content,” says Joonas Pekkanen, the development director.

Suitable for everybody

Floobs can be used by anyone. Users are divided into visitors, content producers and viewers. The difference between visitors on the one hand and content producers and viewers on the other is that the latter are registered.
 
Basically there is no charge for using Floobs, but additional services subject to a charge are offered to both consumers and companies.

Increasing interest

The Finnish-language pilot version of Floobs, which is designed for test use open to everyone, was published in Helsinki in September. The international beta version was launched in the end of December.

“The Floobs test stage has aroused wide interest around the world. The first surprising test result was the activeness of pensioners as producers of a social medium,” says a happy Pekkanen.

Direct broadcast wins

The whole sector is living through its pioneer stage, as is shown by the non-existence of services similar to Floobs in Europe. Services such as YouTube and Facebook, however, have shown that user-generated content is popular entertainment and feeds itself.

Floobs is an international service with global growth prospects.
“We envisage a live picture being the next logical step along the path of Internet and mobile technology development. In the competition for user popularity a photo beats a text, video beats a photo and real-time broadcasting beats a pre-recording”.

>> www.floobs.com

Floobs.com is a new Internet service in which viewers and content producers come face to face with each other.